Patentable/Patents/US-10691956
US-10691956

Information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and storage medium having determination areas corresponding to waiting line

PublishedJune 23, 2020
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

An aspect of the present disclosure provides a detection unit that detects an object in determination areas of an image, a decision unit that decides whether each of the determination areas is in a congestion state based on the number of objects detected in the determination areas, and a determination unit that determines that a second determination area is in a line state when a first determination area is decided to be in the congestion state and the second determination area adjacent to the first determination area is decided to be in the congestion state.

Patent Claims
13 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. An information processing apparatus comprising a computer executing instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to function as: a detection unit configured to detect an object in each of a plurality of determination areas, wherein the plurality of determination areas corresponds to an area in which a waiting line is supposed to be formed; a first determination unit configured to determine whether each of the plurality of determination areas is in a congestion state, based on a number of objects detected by the detection unit; and a second determination unit configured to determine an end position of the waiting line based on a position of a given determination area which is one of the plurality of determination areas and is not determined as the congestion state, in a case where one or more determination areas lined up from a head position of the waiting line to the position of the given determination area is determined as the congestion state.

2

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising an acquisition unit configured to acquire an image captured by at least one camera, wherein the detection unit detects an object in each of the plurality of determination areas in the acquired image, and the first determination unit determines whether each of the determination areas is the congestion state based on the number of detected objects.

3

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a setting unit configured to set the plurality of determination areas based on a user instruction.

4

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when the number of objects detected in the determination area reaches a set threshold, the first determination unit determines that the determination area is in the congestion state.

5

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first determination unit sets the threshold for each of the determination areas, based on a statistic of the number of objects detected in each of the plurality of the determination areas.

6

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first determination unit determines whether each of the plurality of determination areas is the congestion state based on the number of objects with a moving speed less than a certain value from among the objects in the plurality of determination areas.

7

7. An information processing method comprising: detecting an object in each of a plurality of determination areas, wherein the plurality of determination areas corresponds to an area in which a waiting line is supposed to be formed; firstly determining whether each of the plurality of determination areas is a congestion state, based on a number of objects detected in the detecting; and secondly determining an end position of the waiting line based on a position of a given determination area which is one of the plurality of determination areas and is not determined as the congestion state, in a case where one or more determination areas lined up from a head position of the waiting line to the position of the given determination area is determined as the congestion state.

8

8. The information processing method according to claim 7 , further comprising acquiring an image captured by at least one camera, wherein the detecting detects an object in each of the plurality of determination areas in the acquired image, and the firstly determining determines whether each of the determination areas is the congestion state based on the number of detected objects.

9

9. The information processing method according to claim 7 , further comprising setting the plurality of determination areas based on a user instruction.

10

10. The information processing method according to claim 7 , wherein if the number of objects detected in the determination area reaches a set threshold, the firstly determining determines that the determination area is the congestion state.

11

11. The information processing method according to claim 10 , wherein the firstly determining sets the threshold for each of the determination areas, based on a statistic of the number of objects detected in each of the plurality of the determination areas.

12

12. The information processing method according to claim 7 , wherein the firstly determining determines whether each of the plurality of determination areas is the congestion state based on the number of objects with a moving speed less than a certain value from among the objects in the plurality of determination areas.

13

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute an information processing method, the information processing method comprising: detecting an object in each of a plurality of determination areas, wherein the plurality of determination areas corresponds to an area in which a waiting line is supposed to be formed; determining whether each of the plurality of determination areas is a congestion state, based on a number of objects detected in the detecting; and determining an end position of the waiting line based on a position of a given determination area which is one of the plurality of determination areas and is not determined as the congestion state, in a case where one or more determination areas lined up from a head position of the waiting line to the position of the given determination area is determined as the congestion state.

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

May 4, 2018

Publication Date

June 23, 2020

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Cite as: Patentable. “Information processing apparatus, information processing system, information processing method, and storage medium having determination areas corresponding to waiting line” (US-10691956). https://patentable.app/patents/US-10691956

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